Typically I read two books simultaneously: one fiction, one non fiction. I love audiobooks, and usually follow the same pattern. So two books in text, two books in audio simultaneously. Sometimes, when I want to get through a book quick, I'll do both audio and text.
If you are interested in what movies I watch, check me out on Letterboxd (letterboxd.com/chadkoh/)
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch10 - 6 precepts for designing future infra: Design for energy abundance (solar!); Resilience; Flexibility (Small, decentralized, federated, flexible, even temporary); towards an ethics of care (no Utilitarianism!); recognize & defend non-monetary benefits; make it PUBLIC. Transforming infra is transforming culture. Little by little. Avoid huge overarching solutions. Need room to explore, experiment, roll back
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch9 Energy transition: Diffuse, diverse, and distributed. Decentralization important for resilience, also so communities can build to their own needs. Also to take advantage of diffuse natural resources like sunlight. Our total energy use is < 0.04% of sun that hits Earth! BIG on solar age of abundance. Presents some novel ways to store energy (concrete batteries!) and runs through some ideas on infra of the future.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch8 highlighting climate change and how it disrupts infra. We need to rebuild. Personal carbon footprint is a myth. Need wholesale transformation of all our infra. do we replace every gas car with an electric car? Or do we build more public transport? Why do everything the same over again? Chance to be better.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch7 All the expected and unexpected ways infra can fail. Danger of not properly funding regular maintenance. Many of infra disasters are a culmination of unexpected event and lagging maintenance. Our culture prioritizes making new things, not maintenance and care-giving
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch6 The group that determines the social norms about what kinds of infra to build decide who gets access and who doesn’t. So, when we talk about agency and wealth generation of infra, WHO are we talking about? Infra harms, wealth extraction, reifying social injustice, compounding inequality.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch5 Public infra supplies survival goods, not luxury. Discussion of public goods. Challenge of calculating economic value. Money provides agency at individual level. Public infra provides agency at collective – infra increases EQUITY. Most tech is sold as liberatory, but infra really is! When infra → util and can be taken for granted, it becomes a political right. Infra is a political choice.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch4: Standards enable scale. Shipping containers turn maritime and overland networks into a single network, make shipping costs negligible. Shipping a low friction, planetary scale network for physical goods. One of many examples showing that humans can act collectively. Technologies are recursive. Composability of tech: new tech has to interface with existing tech: path dependency.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Dams, waterwheels, etc. Old factories electricity generation was free! difference between “infrastructural networks” eg water/electric/telecom and “distribution networks” ie supply chains. Networks directing flow more efficient than delivering in discrete amounts. Ultrastructure: political+social+regulatory systems that govern infrastructure (eg Cali’s water irrigation). Networks are shaped by social systems.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Infra as agency: labour saving, more time+mobility. Transpo allow people to come together. Telco allows to be physically distant but socially close. “embodied energy”: unseen energy (negative externality) it takes to bring a product to you (reminds me of Michel Bauwens: we use 2-3x the energy to move a thing as it takes to make a thing). Electricity is the currency of the modern world. It is unevenly distributed.
A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, …
Ch1: Bridges, dams, etc are “charismatic megastructures” like “charismatic megafauna”. Infra easy to ignore, but is a critical hyperobject. Large public infra done for efficiency. Infra = networks, connects people:people & people:place. Creates path dependency for future. Rooted in past: tells the story of society. Need to recognize injustice. Infra shows us at our best as we try to take care of one another.
A deeply researched investigation that reveals how the United States is like a spider at …
Expanding on their article on "weaponized interdependence" Farrell and Newman show how the US government uses "global networks" like financial and internet infrastructure for geopolitical ends. Their argument is that this "Underground Empire" has become more and more visible, with other powers like Europe and China considering how to get out from under the US's boot: American power is undermining itself. Lest we forget, WWI was exacerbated by sanctions, and the Cold War never went hot because the two super-powers were independent of one another. Farrell and Newman are arguing for a transformation of our neoliberal globalization.
On the tech side, a lot of the stories in the book will be familiar to those who follow, but I appreciated the history of banking side of the narrative. The parallels are striking, and that is the main contribution of this book. I think it captures much of the frustration that we …
Expanding on their article on "weaponized interdependence" Farrell and Newman show how the US government uses "global networks" like financial and internet infrastructure for geopolitical ends. Their argument is that this "Underground Empire" has become more and more visible, with other powers like Europe and China considering how to get out from under the US's boot: American power is undermining itself. Lest we forget, WWI was exacerbated by sanctions, and the Cold War never went hot because the two super-powers were independent of one another. Farrell and Newman are arguing for a transformation of our neoliberal globalization.
On the tech side, a lot of the stories in the book will be familiar to those who follow, but I appreciated the history of banking side of the narrative. The parallels are striking, and that is the main contribution of this book. I think it captures much of the frustration that we have been feeling over the US for the past 15 years. For this I give it high marks
However, at the very end, it kind of falls down. The conclusion is pretty lacklustre. After spending a whole book criticizing America for having these powers (never mind abusing), they all of a sudden do an about face and speculate that "maybe we can use this power for good! Like, to fight climate crisis!" (not a direct quote obviously…) 😕😕😕 What!? One other bit I thought was missing was a discussion of anti-trust, since monopoly has been the key driver to the growth of these private firms (making them "too big to jail" in Doctorow's words) which the US government strongarms into doing its geopolitical dirty work. But basically up until the end of the final chapter I found this book a useful read.
When the tech platforms promised a future of "connection," they were lying. They said their …
If you want to catch up on 20 years of Cory Doctorow's advocacy for a better society in just a few hours — or get someone ELSE caught up — this is just excellent!
